Roof support suitable for use in mines



Jan. 23, 1968 R. J. HOLLIS ROOF SUPPORT SUITABLE FOR USE IN MINES Filed March 8, 1965 N Q x v 9} m w: m

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ATTORNEV United States Patent 3 364,682 R0595 SUZEGRT SUITAELE FOR USE IN MINES Richard John Hoiiis, Tewkesbury, England, assignor to Dowty Mining Equipment Limited, Tewkeshury, England, a British company Fiied Mar. 8, 1965. der. No. 437,878 Claims priority, application Great Britain, Mar. 9, 1964, 9,371/64 4 Gaines. (Cl. 6145) ABSTRACT OF THE IHSCLOSURE The present invention provides a roof support suitable for use in mines consisting of a main part which in all uses directly engages the roof, and several cantilever parts hinged to the main part in such way that the free end of each cantilever part either engages the roof, or engages the main part, in either instance outwardly of its hinge pin, and so transmits the upward force of a fluid-pressureoperated prop, individual to each cantilever part, to the main part either directly or indirectly. The props act on the respective cantilever parts outwardly of their hinges, and can transmit their force through the cantilever parts directly to the main part, in a limit position of the cantilever parts.

Description of the several views of the drawing FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of a roof support according to one embodiment with an upper plate omitted,

FIGURE 2 is a diagrammatic side View of the upper part of the roof support of FIGURE 1, and FIGURE 3 is a diagrammatic side view of the part of a roof support according to a second embodiment.

Detailed description With reference to the accompanying drawings, FIG- URE-S 1 and 2 show a roof support having a roof-engageable assembly including a main part 1 and three cantilever parts 2, each cantilever part projecting from and pivotally attached by securing means in the form of a horizontal hinge pin 3 to the main part 1 at a position spaced from that end of the main part 1 from which the respective cantilever part 2 projects. In this embodiment, two cantilever parts 2 project from the front end of the main part 1 and are laterally-spaced from one another, and the third cantilever part 2 projects from the rear end of the main part The roof-engageable assembly is supported by three fiuidpressure-operated props 4, each in engagement with a cantilever part 2 at a position outwardly of the hinge pin 3 towards the free end of the cantilever part. Each prop 4 actually acts on its cantilever part 2 through a block 5 which may or may not be secured to the cantilever part 2. Each block 5 may be formed as a socket 'nto which the upper end of the prop 4 fits.

The main part 1 is constructed in the form of a beam with an upper member 6 and a lower member 7 connected together by webs 8. In FIGURE 1, the upper member 6 and webs 8 have been omitted. The pivotallyattached end portion of each cantilever part 2 lies be tween the upper member 6 and lower member 7. A wedge-shaped stop 9 is secured to the underside of the upper member 6 at a position vertically above each prop 4-, whereby the upwardly acting force of the prop can be applied directly to the main part 1.

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The roof support may have any suitable floor-engaging member carrying the props 4. Details of this are not part of the present invention.

In use of the roof support, with the props 4 exerting a roof-supporting force, the manner in which the roof is supported varies according to the shape or" the roof. Usually, both the main part 1 and some projecting or free end portion of each cantilever part 2 will be in en agement with the roof. If the cantilever part 2 is spaced from the stop 9, then the roof-supporting force exerted by the prop 4 acts directly on the cantilever part 2 and acts through the hinge pin 3 on the main part 1. Alternatively, if the cantilever part 2 is in engagement with the stop 9, then the roofsupporting force acts directly on the cantilever part and acts through the stop 9 on the main part 1.

Downward pivotal movement of the cantilever part 2 relative to the main part 1 is limited by engagement of the cantilever part 2 with the adjacent end 11 of the lower member 7 of the main part 1.

The embodiment shown in FIGURE 3 difiers from that shown in FIGURES l and 2 in that each cantilever part 2 is loosely attached to the main part 1 by a retaining pin 13 which does not transmit force from the cantilever part 2 to the main part 1, and the main part I includes a bearing member 12 vertically above each pin 13. Each cantilever part 2 pivots about the bearing member 12 to which a roof-supporting force exerted by the props d is transmitted by the cantilever part2.

I claim as my invention:

1. A mine root support including a main roof bar which in use directly engages the mine roof, a prop for supporting said roof bar, a cantilever arm pivotally mounted with relation to said roof bar at a point inwardly of an end of the latter, and projecting beyond such end for engagement of its projecting portion with the roof upon upward pivotal movement of such projecting portion relative to the roof bar, said prop comprising a fluid-pressure-operated means to press the roof bar upwardly and consisting of a single vertically movable plunger the upper end whereof contacts said cantilever arm, only, intermediate its pivotal mounting on the roof bar and its projecting end, and 'by its upward movement pivots such projecting end supportingly upward against the roof, and by reaction through its pivotal mounting at the same time urges the roof bar supportingly upward against the roof.

2. A roof support according to claim 1 wherein the main roof bar has a portion at a position spaced from said pivot position and engageable by the cantilever arm whereby the prop acts through the cantilever arm directly on the main roof bar simultaneously at said pivot position and at said spaced position.

3. A roof support according to claim 2 wherein said spaced position is substantially vertically above said prop.

4. A mine roof support as in claim 1, characterized in that the cantilever arm is fixedly pivoted to the main roof bar.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,127,748 4/1964 Cooke 61-45 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,198,866 1959 France. 1,329,039 1963 France.

823,586 1959 Great Britain.

JACOB SHAPIRO, Primary Examiner. 

